CALGARY, AB–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CUPE 8125, representing approximately 360 WestJet Encore cabin crew members, has officially served Notice to Bargain a new Collective Agreement.
“We’re seeking an end to unpaid work, to resolve ongoing scheduling issues, and better wages for our members,” said Jennifer Wielohorski-Kuhnert, WestJet Encore Unit Vice President. “It comes down to this: flight attendants deserve to be paid for every hour on the job.”
CUPE 8125 President Alia Hussain emphasized that this round of bargaining comes at a time when cabin crew across the WestJet Group are pushing for meaningful change.
“WestJet mainline flight attendants have been in bargaining since September 2025, raising many of the same core issues of unpaid work, scheduling, and fair compensation,” said Hussain. “Encore flight attendants are now joining that push to ensure that all cabin crew across the company are treated fairly and compensated for the full scope of their work.”
Hussain added, “We look forward to bargaining a collective agreement that reflects the value of the work our cabin safety professionals perform every day. Our members keep passengers safe, manage emergencies, and deliver frontline service, and yet too much of their time remains unpaid.”
“Our message to WestJet is clear and consistent across the group,” said Hussain. “Pay us fairly. Pay us for all our time.”
CALGARY, AB, June 14, 2024 /CNW/ – Today, the second collective bargaining agreement between WestJet and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the certified union representing Encore pilots was ratified.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that reflects the instrumental value and contributions of our Encore pilots,” said Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airlines and Group Chief Operating Officer. “This agreement reflects our commitment to our Encore pilots and their contributions to the WestJet Group, as we continue to invest in our growth and Encore operations, which provide critical connectivity to regions across Western Canada.”
About WestJet
In 28 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 26 countries.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
CALGARY, AB, May 30, 2024 /CNW/ – WestJet today announced they have reached a tentative agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), representing WestJet Encore pilots, on the second collective bargaining agreement between the organizations. The agreement successfully averts a work stoppage and both parties await the second ratification vote to be put forward to membership.
Yesterday evening, following the issuance of a lockout notice, both ALPA and WestJet returned to the bargaining table. Following challenging, but meaningful discussions, a timely resolution was achieved, with the collective goal of avoiding the disruption of WestJet Encore operations and guests’ travel plans.
“The tentative agreement we have reached today provides an offer that is fair and sustainable, and better aligns with key priorities as identified by ALPA, while firmly adhering to the financial parameters that set a critical foundation in the original agreement,” said Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airlines and Group Chief Operating Officer. “While we are pleased to have reached an agreement, we recognize the impact and the uncertainty a lockout notice has on our guests and our people. While our number one priority remains fulfilling our commitment to our guests, through affordable air service, we cannot compromise on what is reasonable and protects the future employment for everyone across the WestJet Group; I am confident our agreement achieves this.”
About WestJet
In 28 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 26 countries.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
A work stoppage could occur as early as Saturday, June 1, 2024, at 6 p.m. MT, unless a deal is reached
CALGARY, AB, May 29, 2024 /CNW/ – WestJet today has issued an advance lockout notice to the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), the union that represents WestJet Encore pilots. As a result of today’s lockout notice, a work stoppage could occur as early as Saturday, June 1, 2024, at 6 p.m. MT, unless a deal is reached. The announcement comes following the failed ratification of the tentative agreement between the two parties on Friday, May 10, 2024.
“The decision to issue notice was not made lightly, and we sincerely apologize for the uncertainty this causes for our guests and the Western Canadian regions that rely on WestJet Encore service; we are hopeful that guest disruption can still be prevented,” said Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airline and Group Chief Operating Officer. “Our tentative agreement represented a robust negotiation process that got us to our final offer. Given this, over the past two weeks, we have been working diligently to understand where we could better align priorities within the financial framework presented. Unfortunately, given the pace of progress and our steadfast priority to protect the summer travel plans of Canadians, a lockout notice was required to provide certainty for our guests and employees by bringing this to a final resolution.”
The WestJet Group has been in active labour negotiations with ALPA since September 2023. The rejected tentative agreement presented an offer that would make WestJet Encore pilots the highest paid regional pilots in Canada, while delivering industry leading work-life balance standards and commitments to career progression.
“We sincerely value our Encore pilots and the service they facilitate, which enables us to provide critical air connectivity to regional communities across Western Canada. We are unwaveringly committed to reaching an agreement to prevent travel disruption; however, we are equally committed to holding firm on what is reasonable as we cannot sacrifice our ability to provide affordable air travel for the millions of guests and communities we serve or our responsibility to provide job security for our employees across the WestJet Group,” concluded Pen.
WestJet Encore lockout details
Issuing a lockout notice does not mean travel disruption will occur. However, in the coming days, the WestJet Group will take all necessary actions to manage the impacts as much as possible, including:
Beginning preparations to operate a reduced WestJet Encore schedule.
Proactively managing changes and cancellations, to ensure the ability to communicate with guests in advance of their flight.
Providing flexible change and cancel options for those who wish to make alternative arrangements.
Please visit WestJet’s Guest Updates page for more information regarding flight status, travel changes and applicable dates for flexible change and cancel options.
About WestJet
In 28 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 26 countries.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
Pilots Insist They Want a Fair Contract, Not a Strike
CALGARY, ALB.—At 3:00 p.m. MT on May 29, WestJet Encore pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), issued a 72-hour strike notice to WestJet Encore management and the government. This started the clock on a 72-hour countdown to negotiate a fair and equitable contract before the pilots can legally utilize all the options available to them under the Canada Labour Code.
After two weeks of bargaining following the pilots’ rejection of a tentative agreement (TA), some progress has been made; however, both sides remain apart on addressing the issues of central importance to the pilot group.
“After eight months of negotiating, and a failed TA, unfortunately management has not recognized the pilots’ needs. We have expressed to management that we are willing to work with them to further address the issues that clearly remain for our pilots,” said Capt. Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore ALPA Master Executive Council. “Until WestJet Encore management negotiates a contract that recognizes the current labour market conditions in Canada’s airline industry, and addresses the needs of our pilots, management will continue to struggle to attract and retain the well-trained, highly skilled pilots required to help our airline be successful.”
“Flight disruptions are never an ideal outcome for any pilot or their passengers. Our goal has never been to strike; our goal remains to negotiate a fair contract that works for both parties,” Capt. Kenny continued. “However, we are ready for all outcomes, should the Company continue to ignore the value and experience we bring to our airline and ignore what is required to ensure that current and future pilots see the WestJet Group as a career destination.”
ALPA remains committed to the bargaining process. If no agreement has been reached by the end of the 72-hour strike notice, the pilots will be in a legal position to commence job action on June 1. If that is the case, the pilots’ strike centers in Calgary and Toronto are now fully operational and staffed by dedicated pilot volunteers.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 77,000 pilots at 41 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org
CALGARY, AB, May 10, 2024 /CNW/ – The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the certified union representing WestJet Encore pilots, today announced that its membership did not ratify the tentative agreement, reached on April 8, 2024. The results of the ratification do not impact operations.
“We are disappointed to learn that our WestJet Encore pilots have rejected an agreement that is distinctly competitive within Canada’s airline industry and solutioned their unique concerns,” said Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airlines and Group Chief Operating Officer. “Our tentative agreement represented a robust negotiation process that got us to our final offer, and while we will meet with ALPA to determine next steps, we will hold firm on what is reasonable to ensure we can continue providing meaningful employment and affordable air travel to Canadians.”
About WestJet
In 28 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 26 countries.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
CALGARY, ALB.—Capt. Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore Master Executive Council, issued the following statement after WestJet Encore pilot leaders, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), voted to approve a full tentative agreement with management.
“After seven months of tough but respectful negotiating, we are pleased to announce we have reached a tentative agreement with management. This tentative agreement goes a long way towards addressing many of the long-standing issues for WestJet Encore pilots by bringing our wages and working conditions significantly more in line with those of our regional pilot counterparts across the country.
“Our goal has always been to reach an agreement that will help solve many of the airline’s pilot attraction and retention issues, provide industry-standard wages and working conditions, and provide a better work/life balance for our pilots.
“This tentative agreement delivers on providing better job security, industry-standard pay, and more flexible schedules to allow for a better work-life balance—consistent with the collective agreements of our regional counterparts across Canada.
“WestJet Encore was once seen as the first step to a successful career within the WestJet Group. For the past several years, we have become a training ground for pilots who leave to find better career opportunities elsewhere. This contract will go a long way towards changing that, making the WestJet Group a desired career choice once again. Over the coming days, our WestJet Encore membership will begin voting on the tentative agreement.”
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 77,000 pilots at 41 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org
Negotiations Continue to Reach a Full Tentative Agreement
8 April 2024 – CALGARY, AB—WestJet Encore pilot leaders from the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) have voted to approve an agreement in principle (AIP) with WestJet Encore management, following more than seven months of negotiations. Discussions are ongoing as the parties work to finalize contract language for a full tentative agreement (TA) for membership ratification.
“After several consecutive days of late-stage negotiating, progress was made on a number of key issues including compensation and scheduling,” said Capt. Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC). “We are pleased to announce an agreement in principle that goes a long way toward bringing the WestJet Encore pilots in line with our regional flying counterparts across Canada.”
While representatives for both sides have reached an AIP on most of the terms and conditions, contract language is still being finalized.
“Throughout the negotiating process, management’s refusal to grasp the current labour market conditions in Canada’s aviation sector resulted in a mass exodus of pilots in search of better work opportunities,” continued Kenny. “It is significant that management now recognizes a contract without the required economic and scheduling improvements would result in a continuation of the current pilot attraction and retention crisis at the airline. “
Flight disruptions are never an ideal outcome for any pilot or their passengers; that’s why the primary goal of the pilots has always been to reach an agreement and not go on strike. The pilot group will continue to make its negotiators available until a TA is reached.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 77,000 pilots at 41 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org
26 February 2024 – Calgary, Alb.—After a vote by the Executive Board of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), the WestJet Encore pilot group received a $1 million grant from ALPA’s “war chest,” known as the Major Contingency Fund (MCF).
This funding will go a long way in supporting the WestJet Encore pilots in their self-help efforts, which could begin as early as April 17, 2024, should conciliation fail to result in a ratified agreement between the pilots and WestJet Encore management.
“Negotiating a contract that will fix the fundamental issues that continue to trouble our airline and make WestJet Encore an airline pilots want to fly for has always been our number one priority, long before formal negotiations ever began,” said Capt. Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore Master Executive Council. “However, progress at the negotiating table has been hard to come by over the past several months, even since the federal government appointed a conciliator to assist in negotiations in January.”
As negotiations drag along at a slow place, the WestJet Encore pilots continue to seek employment opportunities elsewhere that will provide significant improvements to their career progression, quality of life, and compensation.
“We remain hopeful the two sides will reach an agreement before we have to hold a strike-authorization vote, or file a 72-hour strike notice, but should those situations arise, our pilot group will be fully prepared thanks to the generous contribution of $1 million from ALPA’s MCF,” Kenny continued.
The WestJet Encore pilots are also looking forward to a very public display of pilot unity when they hold their first-ever informational picket on March 22, 2024, at the Calgary International Airport. They will be joined by hundreds of ALPA colleagues to show their management and the public that they stand united in their fight to make WestJet Encore a leader in Canada’s aviation community.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 77,000 pilots at 43 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org.
CALGARY, Alb.—The WestJet Encore pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), today filed a request for conciliation assistance with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service with regard to collective bargaining at their airline.
The federal conciliation process allows the WestJet Encore pilot group the opportunity to seek government assistance to reach an agreement with the Company on their second collective agreement. WestJet Encore pilots and management began formal negotiations in September 2023.
“Progress was made in the early stages of the negotiating process, with a robust exchange of proposals and tentative agreements on relatively noncomplicated sections of the collective agreement, however, the parties still remain far apart on multiple key issues,” said Capt. Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore Master Executive Council. “Momentum at the negotiating table has come to a near standstill since talks shifted to larger, more significant contract sections, including pay and scope.”
After months of negotiating, management still fails to understand the fundamental fact that without any drastic improvement on career progression, seniority, and career recognition, there is little stopping WestJet Encore pilots from seeking better employment opportunities.
Membership survey data clearly shows WestJet Encore pilots are looking to be part of a company that values the talent and experience they bring to the workplace. The pilots are consistently advocating for enhanced working conditions, assured career progression, and overdue recognition within the WestJet group. The pilots have provided solutions to the Company which thus far have fallen on deaf ears.
“We continue to face numerous setbacks to our careers as WestJet Encore pilots. It’s clear that our management refuses to remain accountable for their missteps,” Kenny continued. “Despite preferring to have a career within the WestJet group of companies, experienced pilots are leaving due to the poor wages, working conditions, and unknown career progression. Why wouldn’t our employer work with us to fix the fundamental issues plaguing our airline?”
With this request for conciliation, the minister of Labour now has 15 days to appoint a conciliation officer. Once appointed, the officer will work with the parties for 60 days to reach an agreement. If both parties remain at an impasse following this period, a 21-day cooling-off period begins before the parties can engage in self-help.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 77,000 pilots at 43 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA Canada website at alpacanada.ca or follow us on Twitter @ALPACanada.
